1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to automatic accompaniment generating apparatus and method in which automatic accompaniment data is generated based on supplied automatic accompaniment pattern data and input note information.
2. Description of the Related Art
An automatic accompaniment generating apparatus has conventionally been known that generates automatic accompaniment data based on supplied automatic accompaniment pattern data and input note information.
As such an automatic accompaniment generating apparatus, there is known a so-called arpeggiator that generates an arpeggio (broken chord) in response to a key depression. In the arpeggiator, arpeggio pattern data comprised of a plurality of key numbers (which are not note numbers corresponding to tone pitches, but are simple numbers) and sounding timings thereof are stored in advance, and numbers are assigned in advance to tone pitches of a plurality of tones in accordance with a predetermined rule (for example, in the order from low tone pitch). When plural keys are simultaneously depressed, the arpeggiator determines key numbers in the arpeggio pattern data corresponding to the depressed keys, and sequentially generates, at sounding timings, the tone pitches assigned with the numbers corresponding to the determined key numbers. As a result, an arpeggio is generated based on the key depression tones. In this way, when keys are depressed by the user, the arpeggiator sequentially generates and outputs sounding data in accordance with key depression tones and arpeggio pattern data. After completion of the generation and output of sounding data corresponding to the last part of the arpeggio pattern data, the first and subsequent parts of the arpeggio pattern data are again generated for output. As a result, so long as the keys are kept depressed by the user, the sounding data is continuously generated for output based on the key depression tones and the arpeggio pattern data. For the arpeggio generation, some arpeggiator uses fixed-note-type arpeggio pattern data, in part of which fixed tone pitches are specified (see, for example, Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2001-22354).
When a plurality of tones (for example, chord tones) are input by a key depression, the above-described prior art arpeggiator sounds the input chord, generates an arpeggio based on the input chord, and sounds the arpeggio. As described above, the arpeggio is continuously generated and sounded so long as the keys are kept depressed. In such a case, the chord is caused to be continuously sounded while the keys are kept depressed, and therefore, the arpeggio is sounded in an overlapping relation with the chord. With the above described conventional arpeggiator, even if the user wishes to produce tones by decoratively adding the arpeggio (more specifically, by restricting the number of times of sounding the arpeggio) while causing the chord to be continuously sounded, the arpeggio is continuously sounded in an overlapping relation with the chord (i.e., sounding the arpeggio cannot be restricted) while the keys for the chord are kept depressed. As a result, the above user's demand cannot be satisfied.
Some user wishes to use arpeggio pattern data once so as to generate an arpeggio corresponding to depressed keys only one time. To realize such arpeggio generation using the above-described conventional arpeggiator, the user is required to accurately grasp the entire length of the arpeggio pattern data to be used, and also required to accurately adjust a time period of depression of chord keys so as to use the arpeggio pattern data only one time. If the user fails to accurately adjust the time period of depression of the chord keys, the arpeggio pattern data does not end in the first-time use but ends during the second-time use. In that case, the arpeggio generation is unnaturally interrupted.